Until the past few weeks, one of the weekly blogs was a compilation of my daily Tweets. In September, however, 2015 analyses and forecasts, coupled with an aggressive speaking and travel schedule, saw the tweets and blogs move to the side temporarily in priority. My apology. Will try to not let that happen again.
For those of you that do not Tweet – you should consider doing so. If you want to talk about bang for the buck, the 140 total characters, letters, numbers and spaces of a Tweet on Twitter certainly qualifies. Who knew you could say so much in so little.
It reminds me of Mark Twain who wrote, “I would have written you a shorter letter but I didn’t have the time.”
Since so few of you Tweet or follow me (now just 417 following), hopefully each week one of the Jones on Real Estate blog postings will cover the latest seven days of Tweets ending each Thursday.
While you may recognize some of the data from my blog postings, there are always items that just get Tweeted. I am always looking for that “I did not know that” information.
Dr TCJ Tweets: September 5 – September 25 2014
The CFPB is collecting financial information on up to 600 million credit card accounts without sufficient security according to the GAO.
The number one reason that Americans moved this summer was a new job or corporate relocation (71% so responding) per United Van Lines Study.
First-time homebuyers using FHA loans and taking FHA’s HAWK counseling classes can save $325 per year according to RISMedia.
Almost one-half of all homebuyers (45%) used open houses as part of their home search according to NAR’s Profile of Buyers and Sellers.
The typical foreclosure in New York takes 1,498 days, up from 1,339 days in Q4 2013 according to Moody’s Investor Services.
The wad of residential mortgages going through foreclosure in New York is not expected to shrink until 2016 per Moody’s Investor Services.
San Jose, California is rated the top home seller’s market in the US, with Providence, Rhode Island the best homebuyer’s market per Zillow.
US home values are forecast to rise 3.1% from August 2014 to August 2015 according to Zillow. Prices increased 6.6% in the past 12 months.
Total net worth of households and nonprofits increased $1.4 trillion to$81.5 trillion (1.75%) from Q1 to Q2 2014 per the Federal Reserve.
Q2 2014 saw the market value of owner occupied housing increase $170 billion from Q1. Homeowner’s equity rose 1.7% as a result per the NAHB.
August 2014 residential building permits dropped 14.4% sequentially from the July number – multifamily down 32% and single family off 2.4%
30-year fixed rate mortgage loan rates increased from 4.12% to 4.23% last week, the greatest increase since December 5, 2014 – Freddie Mac.
The homebuilder confidence index is now at the highest point since November 2005 per the September NAHB-Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.
Though 61% of Americans agree there is a SKILLS GAP in the US workforce, 95% believe they are QUALIFIED or OVER QUALIFIED for their job.
Incomes rose in 2013 for the first time in six years, up 0.3% ($180) to an inflation adjusted $51,939 per the Census Bureau.
Quantitative easing will end in October as the Fed ceases the purchase of mortgage backed securities and Treasuries.
Following the Fed’s announcement pointing to a 2015 rate hike, the US dollar surged to a six-year high versus the Japanese yen.
14 of 17 Federal Reserve Bank officials expect the Fed’s first rate hike to occur in 2015, two in 2016 and one this year.
30-year fixed-rate mortgage interest rates in 2014 have not changed more than 1/10th of 1% week-to-week, a first since 1977 per Freddie Mac.
Across the US, the average lake or oceanfront home is more than double the value of all homes according to a study by Zillow.
Construction of apartments buildings with a minimum of 5 units hit the greatest construction pace since the beginning of 2006 – Freddie Mac
Calipers, the largest pension fund in the US, is exiting hedge funds to reduce costs and simplify their assets.
Companies with the largest dollar volume of stock buybacks have outperformed the market by 20% since 2008 according to Barclays.
US corporations bought back $338.3 billion of stock in first 6 months of 2014 – the most in any 6 month period since 2007 – Birinyi Assoc
$3 billion of $70 billion on advertiser spending in the US is on the NFL (4.3% – almost 1 of 20 $s) according to the Wall Street Journal.
Outside law firms are seeing a bleaker 2014 as US companies shift $1.1 billion in legal spending to inside the company per BTI Consulting.
Stock markets have been hot with the DJIA, S&P500, India & Canada markets within 1% of an all-time record high, and London 2% per the WSJ.
YTD buyers of US companies have closed acquisitions within 57 days – 30 days faster than in 2013 and the least since 1995 – Dealogic – WSJ.
Following Japan’s sales tax increase from 5% to 8% in April, the Japanese economy saw a 7.1% contraction the following quarter – WSJ.
Lehman Brothers bankruptcy 6 years ago has seen creditors recover just $57.1 billion of $341 billion of claims – likely to get $88.8 total.
Global stock price highs have seen the acquisition of US companies by foreigners for all cash at a low
Water costs to escalate as a projected $384.2 billion of infrastructure investment is required In the next 20 years per the EPA & WSJ.
Vinyl exterior siding (including vinyl covered siding) was the most common material in new construction in 2013 per the Census Bureau.
August foreclosure filings, while up 7% sequentially from July, were down 9% from a year ago according to RealtyTrac.
A strengthening US dollar and a flight to quality sees gold prices at lowest in 8 months – down almost 30% since the Sept 2011 peak.
In a survey of renters, 60% rated buying a home in their ZIP Code as a Good Investment vs 12% calling it as Bad – Federal Reserve.
China housing sales are down 10.9% in the first eight months of 2014 compared to the same period last year – with bulging inventories.
The average 35 to 44 year old (Gen Xers) earn as much as those 45 to 54 years old and out earn those aged 55 to 64 years old per Bloomberg.
More than half of Americans (50.2%) aged 16 and up are single according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 37.4% in 1976.
1 in 5 homes are bought by single women according to NAR. There are more than 25 million single women in the US aged 46 and up – Bloomberg.
The number of never-married adult Americans increased from 1 in 5 (22.1%) in 1976 to 3 in 10 (30.4%) today to Yardeni Research.
Public construction spending is forecast to rise a meek 1% in 2014 and just 3% in 2015 (not including street & highways) per FitchRatings.
Non-res commercial construction jumped 12.9% in the first 7 months of 2014 to $187.5 billion vs growth of just 1% in 2013 per FitchRatings
Total consumer credit outstanding, excluding home mortgage debt and related lines of credit, jumped 10% in July SAAR per the Federal Reserve
24% of households headed by a person aged 64 or younger (22 million) carry student debt today according to the GAO.
Outstanding student debt in households headed by a 65 to 74 year old totaled $2.8 billion in 2005, but ballooned to $18.2 billion in 2013.
10 years ago just 1% of households headed by a 65 to 74 year old still had outstanding student loans, but it was up to 4% in 2010 – GAO.
The average annual cost of car insurance nationwide in 2011 (most recent data available) was $797 according to the NAIC.
250,000 in Virginia will receive notices of cancelation of their healthcare insurance due to non-compliance with the Affordable Care Act.
Hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR) 2014 forecast is raised to a 7.5% increase with another 6% in 2015 according to FitchRatings.
The index of refinance loan volume dropped to the lowest level since November 2008 according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
US loan applications fell to the lowest volume in 14 years, a level not seen since December 2000 per to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
36% of respondents reported that their household expenses were significantly greater than they were a year ago – Fannie Mae survey.
Less than one-half of respondents (44%) expect their personal financial situation to improve in the coming 12 months per a Fannie Mae survey
The average expected rental price change in the coming 12 months is 4.1% based on Fannie Mae’s Q3 2014 Mortgage Lender Survey.
Just one-half of the respondents in Fannie Mae’s Q3 2014 Mortgage Lenders Survey expect interest rates to increase in the coming 12 months.
Global oil consumption is projected to rise 38% by 2040, increasing from 87 million barrels per day in 2010 to 119 million barrel per day.
49.3% of all jumbo loans were securitized in 2005, but just 2.3% of those originated in the 1st half of 2014 – Inside Mortgage Finance.
Home prices are expected to increase just 2.1% in the coming 12 months based on latest Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey by Fannie Mae.
In the past 15 years, typical homeowner net worth has ranged from 31 to 46 times greater than typical renters – Federal Reserve study.
Homeowners net worth on average was almost $200,000 vs $5,000 average for renters in 2013 – Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances.
The June count of unfilled open construction jobs at 152,000 was the most since May 2008 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Recent college grads with student loans must earn 34% more ($8,969) than those without student loans to buy a median-priced home RealtyTrac.
US mortgage fraud has totaled more than $30 billion since the beginning of 2012 according to CoreLogic.
The homeownership rate for adults under 35 has declined from a record high 43.6% in Q2 2004 to record low 36.2% in Q1 2014
Americans today are waiting 5 years longer to get married than in 1970, partially explaining a slowed household formation rate.
Florida had the greatest percentage of all-cash homes sales, at 50.9% last month according to CoreLogic. 2nd was Alabama at 48.1%,
Commercial insurance lines prices increased 3% in Q2 2014 after multiple quarters of 6+percent increases according to Towers Watson.
U S Retail rents are expected to rise 2.5% this year as the vacancy rate fell 0.2% to 6.9% according to Institutional Property Advisers.
The luxury home market (top 1% of prices) is hot this year with sales up 21.1%, with 10 markets posting 50%+ gains according to Redfin.
Miami, Florida posted the largest year-over-year listing price increase in August up 15.6% according to Trulia. 2nd was Birmingham, Alabama
US Dept of Health & Human Services distributes $60 million to 90 nonprofits to increase Affordable Health Care enrollment in 34 states.
San Francisco – least affordable market in the US. Residents must spend 78% of median household income for median priced home – 24/7 Wall St
Land prices rose a median 4% across the US for the 12 months June, with almost 75% having some recreational use per Realtors Land Institute.
Middle East & Africa hotels have 630 new hotels with 147,754 rooms progressing per the STR Global Construction Pipeline Report.
Caribbean & Mexico hotels show a 23.2% increase under construction across 167 hotels totaling 28,140 rooms per as STR Construction Pipeline
The percent of part-time jobs (typically work less than 35 hours weekly) at 19.0 is essentially unchanged from the 18.9% in August 2004.
1 in 5 (19%) of the 146.368 million jobs in the US in August were part-time jobs with the person typically working less than 35 hours weekly
August net new job growth at 142,000 was the lowest number posted yet this year according the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
30% of Americans aged 65 & up had mortgage debt in 2011, up from 22% in 2001. Median debt jumped from $43,400 to $79,000 per the CFPB.
Three of the top five selling vehicles in August 2014 were full-sized pickups as reported by USA Today.
51% reported their attitude on the Affordable Care Act unchanged from a year ago, 28% more negative & 14% more positive per a Bankrate study
25% of 1,006 surveyed adults reported they have more medical debt than emergency savings with 44% earning less than $30,000 -Bankrate.com.
Nevada came across with $1.25 billion of tax breaks over a 20 year period to Tesla for their battery plant. Tesla must invest $3.5 billion.
After inflation, median US household income declined from $49,000 to $46,700 in 2010 to 2013. The top 10% of households rose 2% to $223,200.
While 17% of all US homes with loans were underwater in Q2 2014, just 2.8% of those valued $1 million and up were underwater per Zillow.
2.8% of homes valued from $1 million and up were underwater in Q2 2014 down from 4.2% a year ago according to Zillow, as reported in the WSJ
Jumbo loan holders should consider refinancing as 30-year fixed-rate jumbo rates hit a year-to-date low of 4.15% per http://HSH.com.
US Postal Service has cut rates up to 58% for certain Priority Mail packages for customers shipping a minimum 50,000 parcels per year – WSJ.
Indicating expectations of an improving economy and rising rates, high-grade companies sold $39.7 billion in corporate bonds this week – WSJ
If you have the time to wait, these will be aggregated periodically here on the blog. If however, you wish to receive these real-time as they happen, then follow my account at DrTCJ.
Better yet, get your own Twitter account and Tweet away — naturally retweeting the ones of mine you found interesting.
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Ted